Ionians raise funds for typhoon relief

In response to Typhoon Haiyan, also known in the Philippines as Yolanda, Steven, Holly and Larena Lehman have organized a variety of fundraisers across the community to assist with relief efforts.

Mattie Cookmattie.cook@sentinel-standard.com

In response to Typhoon Haiyan, also known in the Philippines as Yolanda, Steven, Holly and Larena Lehman have organized a variety of fundraisers across the community to assist with relief efforts.
A benefit dinner and raffle was held Saturday at Smokey Mountain Tobacco to help raise both support and funds for relief efforts.
“We decided to do something because Larena is from Cebu in the Philippines and a lot of her family is there. With the Red Cross and other organizations, the money goes to the big cities. We wanted to be able to raise money for the people in small towns,” said Steven Lehman.
Larena Lehman, who is from Cebu island, will be traveling to the Philippines next week to deliver and distribute the donations, as well as to help efforts to rebuild.
“There, $100 will put up a roof and patch things up enough to make a house livable. Here, we have building codes, but their houses aren't like ours and people literally watched their homes blow away during the typhoon,” Steven Lehman said.
The benefit dinner helped bring members of the community together to raise money and awareness for the Typhoon Yolanda aftermath.
The organizers of the Typhoon Yolanda Relief Dinner and Raffle raised $1,023, but their efforts won't stop there.
“We still have donation jars at Smokey Mountain Tobacco and at Purks gas stations. We are also going to start a pop can drive. We'll resume after the holidays with more,” Steven Lehman said.
On Nov. 30, Larena Lehman will leave for Ilihan, which is the in province of Cebu, to deliver the funds raised from the efforts.
“Her flight was donated through frequent flyer miles, which is a blessing because it costs almost $2,000 for a ticket over there. It's going to be good for her to go home and help rebuild,” said Steven Lehman.
Since Typhoon Yolanda hit on Nov. 9, nearly 4,000 deaths have been confirmed, there are still more than 1,500 missing and nearly 20,000 individuals injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
In the central Visayas region, where Ilihan is located, there have been a confirmed 74 dead, 102 injured and five are still missing.
In addition, the typhoon has left millions without homes. Destroyed and damaged crops, livestock, fishing boats and plantations will continue to have a negative impact on the livelihood of those affected.
“A lot of people are worried about donating because of the corruption. The Philippines government received money to help people, which was spent on 50 bags of rice and 20 boxes of sardines, but after the higher ups got to it, only one bag of rice and two boxes of sardines were left for everyone to share. That's one of the reasons why we want to help because Larena is personally distributing it herself when she goes over there,” Steven Lehman said.
The efforts of the Lehmans to organize the benefit and fundraisers around Ionia were planned and implemented in less than a week.
“The more this evolves, the more it has become a community event. Everyone is pulling together and it's really exciting,” said Steven Lehman.
In addition to the individuals who attended the benefit dinner and those who arranged baskets to raise money at the fundraiser, Steven Lehman notes that Maureen Piggott, owner of Smokey Mountain Tobacco, has been a big help to the cause.
“She let us use her business to host the dinner and has helped us organize,” Steven Lehman said.
Donations have come from individuals in all walks of life, such as Aidan Porta, 7, who raised $150 through his school for the fundraiser.
“I'm really happy the fundraiser went well. I almost cried when I found out how much we raised. It's so powerful to be a part of restoring someone's life,” Steven Lehman said.